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Louis J. Capozzi III L’19 selected for Supreme Court clerkship

July 11, 2019

Louis J. Capozzi III L'19
Louis J. Capozzi III L'19
Capozzi will clerk for Justice Gorsuch during the 2021 October Term after completing clerkships with Judge Anthony Scirica of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 2019 to 2020, and with Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 2020 to 2021.

Recent Penn Law graduate Louis J. Capozzi III L’19 has been selected as a clerk for Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Capozzi will clerk for Justice Gorsuch during the 2021 October Term after completing clerkships with Judge Anthony Scirica of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit from 2019 to 2020, and with Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit from 2020 to 2021.

“We’re very proud and excited for Louis,” said Judge Stephanos Bibas, a senior fellow at the law school. “He has worked hard and shone in everything he has accomplished at Penn. His intellect, writing, and determination are outstanding, and we’re confident that he’ll do us proud.”

Capozzi graduated summa cum laude from the Law School and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. Upon graduation, Capozzi received the Peter McCall Prize for highest grades in the graduating class. First in his class for all three years of law school, he also received the Dean’s Prize, the Barenkopf Award, and the Oscar Milton Davis Prize for highest grades during the first, second, and third years. Additionally, at graduation he was awarded the David Werner Amram Prize for best paper in civil procedure, the John M. Maurer Memorial Prize for best performance in criminal law; and the P. Pemberton Morris Prize for best performance in evidence.

Capozzi worked closely with Penn Law professors during his years as a student, acting as a teaching assistant to Dean and Bernard G. Segal Professor of Law Ted Ruger and a research assistant to John H. Chestnut Professor of Law Christopher Yoo. He also worked to produce his own legal scholarship, ultimately publishing an article in the Drexel Law Review, “Relationship Problems: Pendent Personal Jurisdiction after Bristol-myers Squibb.”

“I am grateful for Penn Law’s tremendous support during my three years here,” said Capozzi. “Professors Christopher Yoo, Stephen Burbank, and Catherine Struve were outstanding professors and recommenders. Judges Anthony Scirica and J. Harvie Wilkinson III placed great faith in me early during my law school career, and they are wonderful mentors.”

“In addition,” he added, “Judge Stephanos Bibas and his clerks mooted me in preparation for my interview with Justice Gorsuch. Dean Ted Ruger provided valuable institutional support. And Chris Fritton and the entire Penn Law Clerkship Committee were excellent advisors throughout the process.”

Outside the classroom, Capozzi was an Executive Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review and the President of Penn Law’s chapter of the Federalist Society. Under his leadership, the chapter won the Benjamin Franklin Breakout Chapter of the Year Award in 2019. He also served as an advocate with the Employment Advocacy Project.

During his 2L summer, Capozzi worked on appellate law cases as a summer associate in the Washington, DC office of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

“Penn Law has given me incredible opportunities,” Capozzi said. “I have taken four classes with federal appellate judges, traveled around the world with Professor Christopher Yoo, written an article on personal jurisdiction under the supervision of Stephen Burbank, conducted research on the right to counsel under the supervision of Judge Stephanos Bibas, and helped teach a constitutional law class with Dean Ted Ruger. These experiences have prepared and inspired me to embrace future challenges and opportunities.”